Main featured image via Zara Home.

Melamine plates, dishes and serveware are practical options for alfresco dining, whether you are entertaining at home or packing a picnic. Chic homeware store Oriana B in Fairview, Dublin 3 has just launched a new range of durable melamine (and ceramic) dinnerware perfect for outdoor dining this season. Made in Italy from a decades-old family business, the colourful tableware is based on traditional hand-painted designs that bring a bit of the Mediterranean to your garden.

Above: Mediterranean print melamine serving bowl, €30, at Oriana B, shop here.

“Melamine is a natural compound that is modelled into tableware,” creative director Alannah Monks tells us. “It is durable, shatterproof and dishwasher proof which makes it perfect for outdoor use.” The product is so good that if you’re entertaining, your guests won’t even notice that the dinnerware isn’t actually ceramic until they pick the pieces up.

Above: Scallop melamine sandwich plate, Carolyn Donnelly Eclectic, €8, at Dunnes Stores, shop here. 

Carolyn Donnelly (for Dunnes Stores) also has a range of eye-catching and nicely patterned melamine plates and serveware available now. We love the oblong plate that she created for serving sandwiches. Keep scrolling for even more melamine pieces to pack for upcoming picnics and other items to help set the scene …

Jungle pasta bowls, €20 for set of 4, at Marks & Spencer, shop here. 

Green and white melamine salad plates, €59.50 for 4, at LNH Edit, shop here.

Jungle-print large salad bowl, Les Jardins De La Comtesse, €34, at Brown Thomas, shop here.

Black melamine salad servers, Eddingtons, €9.95, at The Kitchen Whisk, shop here. 

Leather and canvas portable cooler, €79.99, at Zara Home, shop here. 

Orange thermo jug, €19.99, at Bodum, shop here. 

Two person portable cutlery set, €10, at Flying Tiger, shop here.